Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a module element for driving and retaining braiding bobbin carriers, and a braiding device having a plurality of such module elements.
Modular braiding machines in which braiding bobbins are guided along predetermined paths to form a braid are known. For example, German patent document DE 691 31 656 T2 discloses a braiding machine comprising a plurality of track modules and driver modules.
When they are correspondingly arranged in a series, the track modules provide paths formed by recesses in a plate for the braiding bobbin carriers with which spool elements are engaged. The driver modules are arranged below the track modules and engage with a projection of the spool element extending downwards. By rotating the driver modules, the projections of the spool elements are all transferred to the next driver module, and the spool elements forming the braiding bobbin carriers are hence moved forward and follow the paths of a predetermined bobbin path established by the track modules.
Given the modular design, the described braiding device can be adapted to different geometries that are to be realized in the braid to be created; however, this is only feasible in a single plane. In addition, the prior art braiding machine has weak points at the places where the braiding bobbin carriers engage with the track and driver modules since the parts are exposed to wear and soiling in these locations due to the use of the braiding device. Furthermore, although the bobbin paths can be adjusted relatively flexibly, they remain restricted to the paths established by the track modules.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved module element for driving and retaining braiding bobbin carriers, as well as an improved braiding device that can overcome the cited disadvantages.
A module element for driving and retaining braiding bobbin carriers on a predetermined bobbin path has at least one base element that can rotate about an axis, and at least one retaining element which is formed integrally with the base element, the retaining element being designed to releasably hold at least one braiding bobbin carrier offset from the rotary axis.
During operation the module element rotates about the rotary axis, wherein the at least one retaining element rotates with the base element about the common rotary axis. The drive is advantageously provided, for example, by a motor arranged in the area of the rotary axis. During rotation about this common rotary axis, the retaining element can grasp an oncoming braiding bobbin carrier at any desired time and hence at any desired position along the circular path of the retaining element, and carry it up to a desired position on the circular path of the retaining element around the common rotary axis where it is released. The entrained braiding bobbin carrier is driven by the rotation of the base element that entrains the integrally formed retaining element along the circular path. The braiding bobbin carrier can hence be flexibly brought from a held position to a released position along the circular path of the retaining element without being limited to predetermined paths.
In an advantageous embodiment, the rotatable base element has a wheel, and the retaining element is arranged on an outer circumference of the wheel to hold a braiding bobbin carrier.
It is hence preferably possible to arrange a plurality of retaining elements over the entire 360° circumference so that a plurality of braiding bobbin carriers can also be advantageously driven and transported further simultaneously by the module elements.
If the retaining element is furthermore advantageously designed, for example, with a notch, an area is available to retain braiding bobbin carriers that can be engaged with a corresponding area of a braiding bobbin carrier to preferably enable secure retention of the braiding bobbin carrier.
In a preferred embodiment, the retaining element has a retaining device with a magnetic device, especially with an electromagnet, formed to magnetically attract and repel braiding bobbin carriers. For example, at least one electromagnet is arranged within the interior of the wheel, preferably in the area of the notch. The electromagnet is particularly preferably formed by a coil that belongs to a motor which propels the rotational movement of the base element.
By means of the magnetic attraction and repulsion between the magnetic device and braiding bobbin carrier, mechanical engagement in a track element normally used in the prior art for capturing, retaining and transporting braiding bobbin carriers can be advantageously discarded, which can advantageously greatly minimize signs of wear on the module element or the braiding bobbin carrier.
Alternatively or in addition to a magnetic device, a suction and/or blowing mechanism can be provided as a retaining device. A mechanical gripper as an alternative is also conceivable, wherein, however, a magnetic device constitutes the advantageous embodiment in regard to reducing wear. Instead of a notch, a wing extending away from the base element can also be provided as the retaining element.
More preferably, a control element for controlling the module element is provided, in particular a control element for controlling a rotary speed of the base element and a retaining force that acts upon a braiding bobbin carrier at a predetermined angle of rotation of the base element.
By means of such a control, a braiding bobbin carrier can be preferably brought at a predetermined speed to a predetermined angular position of the retaining element by elevating the retaining force high enough for the braiding bobbin carrier to be retained by the retaining element. Once the predetermined angular position is reached, the retaining force is advantageously reduced enough, for example by turning off an electromagnet, so that the braiding bobbin carrier is no longer retained by the retaining element, and it can preferably leave the module element at the desired position.
Particularly preferably, the module element has at least four retaining elements which, in a particularly preferred embodiment, are arranged evenly on an outer circumference of the base element.
Accordingly, four braiding bobbin carriers can advantageously be simultaneously driven, retained and transported further by the module element.
It is, however, also possible to provide more than four retaining elements on one module element. This is, for example, advantageous when the relevant module element is to be used as a parking position as described below. Accordingly in this case, a plurality of braiding bobbin carriers can be advantageously held simultaneously by the module element.
An advantageous combination of at least one module element as described above and at least one braiding bobbin carrier has a braiding bobbin carrier that has at least one magnetic area for interacting with the retaining element of the module element.
The magnetic area can, for example, be advantageously formed by a projecting rod. In a particularly advantageous manner, the projecting rod is designed to be complementary with the notch.
More advantageously, the magnetic area has a support plate to which the projecting rod can be fastened, and which can abut a surface of the wheel for additional advantageous stabilization.
For example, the magnetic area can be formed by providing ferromagnetic material that can be attracted by a magnet. Alternatively, the braiding bobbin carrier can also have a magnet, such as an electromagnet, that interacts with the magnet on the retaining device of the module element, wherein the magnets attract each other in order to preferably hold the braiding bobbin carrier and repel each other in order to preferably push to the braiding bobbin carrier away from the module element.
Instead of a magnet on the retaining device, a magnetic area such as a ferromagnetic material can also be alternatively provided on the retaining device, wherein the braiding bobbin carrier then advantageously has a magnet, especially an electromagnet.
A braiding device for braiding fibrous semifinished products has a plurality of the above-described module elements, wherein the module elements are arranged relative to each other such that at least one first retaining element of a first module element can transfer braiding bobbin carriers in the air to a second retaining element of a second module element along a predetermined bobbin path.
This means that the module elements are arranged relative to each other such that the retaining elements are at a distance that can be overcome by a braiding bobbin carrier to be transported further only by the active retaining force, such as magnetic force, of the retaining devices of the two module elements. If the first module element accordingly releases the braiding bobbin carrier, the retaining device of the second module device is advantageously activated so that the braiding bobbin carrier passes from the first retaining element of the first module element to the second retaining element of the second module element.
With such a braiding device, a plurality of braiding bobbin carriers can be transferred to a subsequent module element at a predetermined angular position of the individual module elements. The module elements can be arranged freely within space relative to each other, while only advantageously fulfilling the condition that the distance between the two neighboring retaining elements of different module elements can be overcome by the retaining force. Consequently, any geometry that could be desired within a braid can be created. Since furthermore the contact between braiding bobbin carriers and module elements only occurs briefly and without significant mechanical strain, the wear of the parts of the braiding device is minimal.
The module elements are advantageously arranged in a series and/or parallel to each other so that flat fibrous semifinished products can be advantageously braided.
Alternatively or in addition, the module elements can also be arranged in several planes relative to each other so that preferably three-dimensional fibrous semifinished products can be braided with several layers.
More advantageously, it is possible to arrange the module elements in a circle so that preferably tubular fibrous semifinished products can be braided.
All types of arrangement—serial, parallel, in several planes and circular—can advantageously be provided in combination or separately from each other depending on the geometry of the braid to be created.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the braiding device also has a servicing device for forming at least one parking position for at least one braiding bobbin carrier. Such a servicing device can, for example, be formed by a rotating module element that is arranged outside of the predetermined bobbin path of the braiding bobbin carrier to be parked. With such an arrangement, it is possible to advantageously supply braiding bobbin carriers as desired to the braiding process, or remove them from the braiding process, in order, for example, to prevent changes in the circumference of a braid to be created.
On the one hand, braiding bobbin carriers can be advantageously removed from the braiding process that guide the actual braiding threads in the braiding process. Alternatively or in addition, it is also advantageously possible to remove those braiding bobbin carriers from the braiding process that guide the support threads i.e., the threads that are guided opposite the direction in which the actual braiding threads are guided. This advantageously makes it possible to change between UD braiding and multi-tow winding in a braiding process.
A control device is preferably provided to control the module elements, wherein the control device controls the module elements such that a multidimensional braid is formed, especially with several braiding layers.
In addition, the control device preferably has a memory unit in which predetermined bobbin paths are saved to form predetermined fibrous semifinished products. By means of the predetermined bobbin paths, the control device can preferably control the module elements so that the braiding bobbin carriers move along the predetermined bobbin paths to yield the predetermined shape of the fibrous semifinished product.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the braiding device has a plurality of module elements as well as a plurality of braiding bobbin carriers that each have at least one magnetic area for interacting with the retaining elements of the module elements.